Dance With Me
by tromana
Summary: Whatever dancing had to do with being a good cop, Lisbon decided she would never know. This stank of Van Pelt. Or Jane, yeah, that's more like it. Jane's always looking for a way to humiliate her. Fluff. Well fluff-ish.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Dance With Me  
**Author:** tromana  
**Rating:** T  
**Characters:** Lisbon/Jane, Team  
**Spoilers:** 1.17, Carnelian Inc.  
**Summary:** Whatever dancing had to do with being a good cop, Lisbon decided she would never know. This stank of Van Pelt. Or Jane, yeah, that's more like it. Jane's always looking for a way to humiliate her. Fluff. Well fluff-ish.  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine, alas.

**Dance With Me**

Lisbon frowned as Minelli detailed the latest course they, or rather he, had decided to put the SCU on. Including Jane. She'd been expecting him to outline details of a new case, something that they could really get their teeth into. Whilst Minelli was her superior, and she naturally respected him, she fought her ground emphatically, if not only for her sake, but for Rigsby's as well. Whatever she said, he managed to rebuke however, leaving Lisbon thoroughly annoyed and wondering how the hell she was going to broach the subject of dance lessons with her team.

She sat disconsolately at her desk, peeling the Satsuma she had picked up from the kitchen area, still pondering. Whatever dancing had to do with being a good cop, Lisbon decided she would never know. This stank of Van Pelt. She was always bringing up ideas for building 'team skills' or 'improving fitness'. Minelli could quite easily have overheard her enthusing about ballroom bloody dancing. Or Jane, yeah, that's more like it. Jane's always looking for a way to humiliate her. He could quite easily have hypnotised Minelli when everyone else had their back turned.

Once lunch had been consumed, meaning that Rigsby would still be eating, she stomped out of her office and into the bullring. Automatically, they all looked up expectantly as she stood in front of them.

"Is there a new case, boss?" Van Pelt enquired, all youth and eagerness.

"Homicide? Arson?" Cho sounded almost pleased at the idea of death and violence.

"Not exactly," Lisbon replied. "Minelli wants us to go on another course. He thinks it will be ideal for team-building and improving trust."

Cho wrinkled his nose in annoyance. "It's not _dancing_, is it?"

That caught Lisbon of guard. She nodded mutely, slightly amused at the sight of the blood rapidly draining from Rigsby's face. Van Pelt, however, looked thrilled. Jane didn't even bother to sit up from his sofa.

"Damn," he continued. "I thought I heard Minelli say something about that. Thought it was an April Fool's."

Lisbon could only agree with his sentiments.

**TBC...**

**Okay, the first chapter is very short. The subsequent ones will be longer. Sorry, but this is how the natural break in the story falls. x tromana**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone for your kind responses. I hope the rest lives up to expectations - and apologise for any OOC-ness. I've tried my best to remain true to them, though.**

**Part Two**

Until the fateful day arrived, Jane appeared to require constant reminders that the class was coming up and was seemingly determined to make it even more of a chore than it already was. Even whilst they were driving to the teacher's dance studio, Lisbon and Jane were bickering about who was to dance with whom. Lisbon, frankly, still found the whole thing preposterous - especially that Minelli would be willing to waste away money on something as frivolous as dance when he they could be using a firing range or something instead.

As usual, Lisbon had turned up in her typical pants and shirt. Why should she need anything else? Besides, they never knew if they'd suddenly be called away. Criminals don't take a break just because cops were taking bloody dancing lessons to 'improve trust within the unit'. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised when Grace Van Pelt approached her quite shyly with a spare skirt, stating that her work pants could be quite impractical for the class ahead. It didn't stop her gawping when the younger woman had asked her if she'd brought any high heels, however.

Still fuming, Lisbon rushed to the toilets where she slipped into Grace's spare skirt. Despite the difference in height, there wasn't too much difference in the size and it was just a bit longer than it would have been on it's owner. It was strange how that Van Pelt had known that her boss wouldn't have bothered with a skirt, yet Lisbon didn't bother questioning it. Tentatively, and feeling very self-conscious about the whole debacle, she left the toilets only to be pounced upon by Jane. He immediately slipped an arm through hers, beaming.

"That skirt looks lovely on you, Lisbon," he whispered in her ear. "Van Pelt chose well."

Lisbon blushed, thoroughly relieved that Van Pelt had also handed her a pair of tights. She never wore skirts, if she could help it. With the career she had they were a hindrance - she'd struggle to take down a man twice her size if she was squeezed into a skirt and a nice pair of heels. They were saved for the odd occasion when she absolutely had to dress up.

As she expected, the teacher tutted and sighed at the clash of practical work shoes and skirt. She had already wrestled a rather bemused looking Cho into hold whilst Van Pelt was continually adjusting where Rigsby had placed his hands. Patiently, the woman showed them the most basic steps to a waltz, before turning on the music and leaving them to their own accord.

Van Pelt must have had the patience of a saint to dare try dancing with Rigsby. However, they both appeared to be smiling widely. At least they were enjoying themselves. Cho, as focussed as ever, picked up the moves with relative ease. Lisbon just crossed her arms and glared at Jane, daring him to take a step closer.

He did, and gently unwound her arms whilst she rolled her eyes theatrically. Lisbon's mind was running through the 1001 more practical things she could have been doing at that very moment rather than having Patrick Jane threatening to dance with her. Carefully, he placed her left hand on his right shoulder, and took the other one with a gentle clasp to hold her in the a basic frame. She was still insisting on standing far too far away from him for them to be able to get any semblance of elegance between them.

"You're problem is," Jane whispered conspiringly into her ear. "Is that dancing with someone else means you're not in control. You hate that."

"Rubbish," she retorted, loudly enough for their teacher to send them a scathing glare that Lisbon herself would have been proud of. "I'm perfectly fine with this."

"Liar."

Lisbon frowned, but eventually complied grudgingly, as Jane pulled her in closer, his hand nestled expertly between her shoulder blades. Automatically, she tensed up her entire body and he smiled knowingly at her which only succeeded in annoying her further. She glanced over at Rigsby and Van Pelt. The poor woman was obviously having trouble helping the gentle giant find any fathomable sort of rhythm at all, yet it seemed to bother neither of them. Only Cho seemed to be having any success. Lisbon expected that was mainly because he was dancing with the poor woman who had the task of teaching them at all.

"You stood on my toe, woman."

Lisbon snapped immediately from her reverie. She'd barely noticed that Jane had been leading her around the room in a slow waltz with expertly placed footwork. Lisbon still wasn't entirely comfortable with this, but was determined not to make a show of it. Besides, Jane seemed to know exactly what he was doing and following his command was, in this situation, entirely natural.

"I learned from my wife," he whispered the answer to the question that was on her lips. "She refused to marry me until I knew how to execute the perfect waltz."

Lisbon froze and immediately disentangled herself from Jane's arms. Everyone in the room stopped briefly, before realising it was only Lisbon and Jane stopping and they had to start arguing sooner or later. They'd probably have been more concerned if they hadn't caused any problems. Anyway, Van Pelt was determined to make sure Rigsby managed to get at least three steps right before the end of the session and Cho was quite enamoured by the teacher.

"Don't be silly," he whispered once the rest of the team were sufficiently distracted. "Come here."

Lisbon rolled her eyes as he took her back into hold. He started off slowly, allowing her to tentatively search out the steady beat of the music for herself. Once he was certain she felt more confident in what she was doing, he began to talk again.

"Dance is an early art form, a representation of emotions…"

"A mating ritual," Lisbon put in, not entirely helpfully.

"My wife was always particularly taken by the international standard waltz." His voice was soothing, reassuring. "She firmly believed that a man that could dance was not afraid to show his inner emotions. It's an acceptance - to lead or to be lead. That no two dances were ever the same. And that very fact is where the beauty lies within it."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"So you can understand why."

The music had long since stopped, but they hadn't noticed. Jane continued to lead Lisbon around the dance floor with methodical ease. Some would say they were simply caught in the moment. This meant that the others simply didn't have the heart to stop them. Van Pelt even dared to lean in closer to Rigsby and whisper to him about just how sweet she found it.

"Yeah, but she'll kill him when she realises."

Rigsby's inoffensive response was louder than he expected and was enough to disturb them. And he was quite accurate. Lisbon practically threw Jane off of her and stormed out of the room, breathing heavily. Van Pelt was sorely tempted to rush after her boss, but held back, whilst the teacher simply decided that a hodgepodge gaggle of cops were not worth any more of her time.

"What did you do with her?" Rigsby asked. The man could probably charm the venom from a snake, which when it came to Lisbon, it was a pretty damn close comparison.

"Meh, she just needs to learn that sometimes a dance is just a dance."

"You don't believe that, do you?"

Grace sounded incredulous and certainly unwilling to believe that the closeness she had just witnessed between her boss and their consultant was simply 'just' a dance. Jane shrugged whilst a wicked smile slowly broke out across his lips.

"Besides, she'll kill me when she finds out that this was _my_ suggestion in the first place."

She stood outside of the dance hall, trying in vain to dry off her eyes with her shirt sleeve. Lisbon knew she shouldn't let Patrick Jane get underneath her skin, but she couldn't help it. Anyone else she could stand up herself against fearlessly and use her stubborn streak to her advantage. Jane, however, just wound her up so much and slipped in under her guard if she even let it drop for a second. And it didn't help that he made her feel like a _woman_, rather than one of the guys. Yes, he teased her mercilessly and got on her nerves but he still made the idea of going into work that bit more enjoyable.

"Boss?"Lisbon jumped slightly as she heard Grace Van Pelt call for her gently and then place a hand on her shoulder. Smiling weakly, the younger agent handed her a clean tissue, which Lisbon accepted gratefully. Van Pelt knew what a dominant woman her boss could be, and was still slightly scared and a little bit in awe of her. It shook her to see the woman she admired so much to be so shaken, especially over a man. And not just any man. Patrick Jane.

"I brought your stuff out, too," Van Pelt whispered. "The others are clearing up. Who knows how we managed to make so much mess - I blame Rigsby."

"Thanks, Van Pelt," Lisbon whispered appreciatively. She snorted derisively as she mopped up the dampness around her eyes. "Look at me, what are you meant to think?"

"I think you're a great leader," Van Pelt replied honestly, before continuing more softly. "You are allowed to show more emotions than just rage, boss. It's not going to stop me respecting you."

"You're sweet," she replied. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who's left kind reviews again. It means a lot to me. I'm afraid this is the penultimate part. Enjoy. x tromana**

**Part Three**

It didn't take long for the news that the dance class was Jane's fault to reach Lisbon. The rest of the team kept shooting furtive glances towards Jane who was laying prone on his couch, knowing that soon he would be thoroughly disturbed. Lisbon was a woman on a mission, positively raging with fury as she marched into the bullpen and kicked Jane roughly, awakening him from his nap.

"You hypnotised Minelli? Damn it, Jane. I tell you it's illegal and then you do it on your superiors. Tell me, how am I going to explain this?"

Lisbon's voice was as incredulous as he'd expected it to be. Only two days had passed since their first - and only dance lesson, and it had been Rigsby who had cracked over a pot of yoghurt. Lisbon knew exactly how to bribe each and every member of her team for information. When Minelli had stormed downstairs after checking the accounts, blatantly not remembering sending the team dancing at all, she knew she'd have to confront him.

"It was suggestion, not hypnotism," Jane mumbled before turning over in attempt to get a few more minutes sleep.

Lisbon kicked him again. Harder.

"Damn it, woman. Words, not violence. Words."

"If you want words, you'll get your sorry ass over to my office," she hissed.

And with that, she sauntered off, thoroughly unimpressed. Jane rubbed the sleep out of his eyes grudgingly. Van Pelt shot him a sympathetic look as he tentatively headed towards the Senior Agent's office. He shouldn't have been surprised that she'd found out so quickly - after all the unit was tight-knit and the rest of the team were very loyal to their boss.

Lisbon didn't even bother turning around as Jane walked into her office and shut the door behind him to give them that little bit extra privacy. She couldn't look at him; one look in his eyes could weaken the front she'd been specifically building up all day.

"It was a trust exercise, Lisbon."

"Trust? I can't even trust you in the office, never mind out in the field. You play mind games, you consistently go behind my back, you expect me to support your crackpot theories and yet you still ask me to trust you." She took a deep breath. "And now I have the Attorney General breathing down my neck. You do realise our superiors only tolerate you because you close cases?"

Jane shrugged. "It was good for the team."

"Oh yes, how so?" Lisbon asked. "You humiliate me in front of my team and force me to answer the unanswerable questions from those above. Not to mention that Rigsby and Van Pelt can barely talk to each other without blushing now. Only you and Cho seem to have come out of this farce unscathed!"

Lisbon eyed Jane warily, hoping for some kind of mature response. He seemed to have no opinion on the situation at all. She sighed heavily before pulling out a wad of paperwork which she would now have to fill in now because of Jane's actions.

"I don't have any choice," she told him. "You're bloody unrepentant. Minelli has requested punishment - suspension. I doubt you'll learn anything from it but it's protocol. You can't go around hypnotising people, Jane. Especially not those in charge!"

**TBC...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to absolutely everyone who has been kind enough to leave a review. There's nothing like them to cheer you up when you have a bad day (or several). This part is dedicated to SpaceAnJL, who planted the image of Jane in a tux in my head. And he refused to go away… not that I wanted him to either. Ahem. x tromana**

**Part Four**

Jane had initially taken his suspension with surprisingly good grace and the team still worked well without him. Okay, it had taken them slightly longer to catch onto the fact that the shop's manager was the murderer and not the checkout boy, but they got there in the end. Towards the end of the week, he had however been sending them all multiple text messages and calling them frequently complaining about how bored he was. Lisbon could only keep her fingers crossed that he'd learned a lesson for a change.

It was the Friday and the team had devoured the closed case doughnuts that Cho had brought in. Over the treat, Lisbon vaguely mentioned that she was thinking about dropping in on Jane. Yes, he was being punished but she was beginning to feel sorry for him. They soon settled into a restive state to complete the paperwork required of the shop murder case they had just closed. Despite the fact closing it without Jane showed that they didn't absolutely need his skills, she missed him like hell. There was no one to jokingly flirt with, no one to argue in jest with. She missed their verbal sparring matches and having someone to yell at when he didn't do things by the book. Lisbon also missed just watching him - he was after all, quite pretty - but she wouldn't admit that for the world.

She dismissed her team earlier than usual, to their delight. They'd finished off their paperwork faster than usual without Jane there to distract them, so they deserved a couple of hours extra break. Besides, with it being a Friday, they were all beginning to lose the focus they usually had. Once the others had left, Lisbon hung behind for a bit and tidied her office before heading outside. She sighed irritably at the fact it was raining as she climbed into the SUV issued to her by the CBI. They'd always been more than happy for her to use it as her personal vehicle as well as for work-related excursions. Besides, it was more economical for her to do so.

The rain pounded down and she fiddled with the radio, before giving up after realising there really was nothing on. The neighbourhood she was travelling through now was unfamiliar territory and she had to concentrate, especially in the horrid weather. Eventually, she reached her destination. The garden was in disarray, yet well-lit. She reached the door, to which a letter had been pinned. Immediately, her blood ran cold. Lisbon pulled it off tentatively and began to read.

_Hi Lisbon,_

_I'm not in right now, but there's a spare key in your dash-board. Before you ask, Cho put it there on my behalf. In the living room, there's a dress and some shoes that I believe will fit you. If you could be so kind as to change into it and meet me on my patio, it would be a great honour._

_Jane._

Lisbon rolled her eyes and was in half a mind to turn back. Instead, she did as Jane requested. Sure enough, there was a key exactly where he'd said it was. Unlocking the door, she managed to find the living room immediately. She felt uncomfortable in Jane's house - she knew he hadn't moved since the murders took place and Lisbon felt like she was invading. How on Earth could she compete with a ghost - the woman who Patrick Jane still loved as much as when she was alive? It didn't help that now she was fairly certain her team was ganging up on her. The note said as much - Cho was in on this at the very least.

The dress was beautiful. Silky smooth, it highlighted everything Lisbon would have wanted it to, and more, yet managed to disguise everything required, too. She had changed in the bathroom and it surprised her just how good it looked. The deep red complimented her eyes and she smiled as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She decided she wasn't even going to bother asking how he knew which dress size she needed. Lisbon then spent a significant amount of time glaring unwillingly at the heels. She just _wasn't_ a heels person, even though with her petite stature meant she could theoretically get away with them a lot more easily than Van Pelt, for example.

Once the shoes had been put on, she hastily grabbed her handbag, mainly to tidy up her hair and makeup. She still was not sure about having to dress up formally like this for no apparent reason. Neither did she know quite why she was going along with it. Taking a deep breath, she headed back into the living room and towards the patio doors and outside. As her hand grabbed hold of the handle, she was silently cursing her damn curiosity. After all, look at what happened to the hypothetical cat.

The majority of Jane's patio was covered by an expansive shelter; it had always been ideal for entertaining guests - not that Jane did that much these days. He smiled as he heard the sound of heels clicking against concrete. He moved swiftly and turned on the music. The sound of piano filled the modest back garden, playing a classical Waltz that Lisbon failed to recognise. Jane appeared from out of the shadows, dressed in a neatly pressed, beautifully cut tuxedo, with water clinging to his blond curls. It was obvious he had just dashed out from under the safety of the shelter.

"I'm not here to compete. I…"

"I know," he replied simply. "And I can't ask that of you. I don't want you to. Thank you for coming."

The music grew louder and Lisbon eyed him warily.

"Isn't this a little sophomoric?"

"A little," he agreed. "Care to dance?"

Lisbon was surprised, but the lesson had helped. Only she hadn't expected it to be so that Jane could attempt to seduce, or at the very least, flirt outrageously with her on his own property. She had no intention of telling him that she now thought those couple of hours hadn't been as much of a waste of time as she originally thought, even though she had a sneaky suspicion he would work it out anyway.

His hand clasped hers gently, and she felt a frisson of excitement run through her veins as he placed the other between her shoulder blades, as he had done so during the farce of a class. Jane beamed at her, looking impossibly attractive in his tux and soon Lisbon wondered how much of her was upright on her own accord and how much was Jane holding her. She was faintly aware of the movement, sweeping across the patio, and more so of his hip firmly locked against hers.

The piece was over far sooner than she'd have liked. Jane released her gently, but not before whispering how much of a natural he thought she was when it came to dancing. Lisbon blushed furiously, just as he'd expected. Grinning, he leaned in and nestled his head in the crook of her neck. The next track had started on the CD. Neither of them had noticed just how far out of the shelter they had strayed, and the fact they were getting significantly wetter by the second.

"Teresa, you look beautiful."

Her cheeks reddened further, and he lifted a hand to gently move a stray hair that was plastered against her forehead. As he cupped a cheek gently, Lisbon found she didn't care if her entire team had been helping Jane to set this up. She didn't care who let him know that she would be arriving at his on the sodden Friday night, though she had her suspicions. All thoughts of the team, work, just how broken they both could be at times were forced from her mind as his lips brushed against hers. Questions about why he wanted her to know about his wife's love of dance, trust and a million and one others ran away as she pulled him in for a deeper kiss. His hair felt so right running through her fingertips as his tongue ran over her lips teasingly.

If she had managed to get the logical side of her brain to compute, she would have already been wondering how to broach the subject of relationships with the team. Considering that would come later. For now, there was just the moment.

**end**


End file.
